Type-writing machine.



L; R. ROBERTS.

TYPE Wm'ma MACHINE '1 10:1 FILED l9. 1914v Patented Mar. 16,1915.

WITNE3SES! UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

Lyman n. azaars, ornu'r mnrokn, Raw QIERsEY, assre von :roUNpEBwoon rreswnrrnn COMPANY, or NEW yonx, N. Y., aconronnrronorpsnawann THE-WRITING ILA(".1HIIlIIhl'E.

speciflcation of Letterslatent.

Patented Mar. 16, 1315.

Application filed January 19, 1914. Serial No. 812,976.

To a whom it may concern:

beyond said rolls, ,is prevented from be- Be it known that vI,.LYuAN .Rj Rommrs, a coming distotged. That i the rolls being in citizen of the United States, resi'ding iri alln'emnt,"

Rutherford, in,the county of Bergenfi'and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inFIype'Writting Machines, of whiclt the following is a specification.

.This invention relates to improvements in the paper guiding devices, used in connection with typewritting machines, and an object of the invention is to reduce the noise causedby the type, and improve the type impressions on the work sheet.

1 have devised means for eliminating the hollows or air spaces which are apt to occur between the platen and the work sheet at and in the neighborhood offthe printing point,.by causing the paper to hug said platen, particularly at and near, the writing line, and thereby avoid the liability of the type drumming upon a loose sheet, which I have found magnifies the sound.

.Another advantage which is gained by my invention, is the production of clear and distinct impression of thetype, as the work sheet cannot recede from the latter and cause a faint or blurred impression.

In an embodiment of the invention as adapted to an Underwood typewriting machine, I provide in addition to the usual pressure rolls, carried by the guide fingers for the margins of the work-sheet, auxiliary pressurerolls which are located in advance of said usual pressure rolls. Said auxiliary rolls may be carried by arms pivotally mounted on the carriers for the said mide fingers, and may be held against the platen by springs acting directly, on said arms. The auxiliary rolls, together with said guide fingers, may be Lifted from the platen to release the work sheet, by swinging said carriers upwardly and rearwardly, and are also adjustable longitudinally of the platen. to bring the guide fingers and rolls into positions corresponding to the position and width of the work :heet on the platen. A guide arm may als be provided at a point intermediate the said guide fingers, and provided with pressure rolls to bear against the platen, one inadvance of the other. The advanced roll on.said guide armis preferably substantially in alinement with the said auxilifiry rolls, so that the work sheet where it leaves the platen line at which the sheet is tangent to, or leaves the platen, is a straight llne parallel with the platen axis which arrangement materially assists in holding the work sheet smoothly on the platen.

Qtherfeatures and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanyin drawings, Figure 1 1s a perspective view 0 a well-known type writerplatenframe and carriage, to which my invention-is shown applied. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the paper guiding finger in position over the platen. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the paper guiding finger in an operative position over a work sheet, and its inoperative position is shown diagrammatically in dotted lines. Fig. 4 is a view showing the method of holding a work sheet against the platen, at intervals between the guide fingers. .Fig. 5 is a perspecti e view of the auxiliary pressure roll and its supporting arm, by means of which it is mounted upon a guide finger.

In the usual form of the well-known Underwood typewriter, a platen 1 is fixed to an axle 2 journaled in the ends of a platen frame 3, which is carried along the writing line on a carriage 4. The platen is provided with a line-space mechanism, comprisin a lever 5 which may be used to drive bac a plunger 6, to carry a pawl 7 into engagement with a ratchet or line-space wheel 8 fast on the platen axle and thereby rotate the said platen for a new writing line. Buffers 9, of some suitable noise-deadening material such as felt or leather, on each of the abutments 10, located on the carriage 4, may be used to arrest the said line-space lever.

.The work sheet 11 is guided between the platen and the feed rolls.l2,by a table 13 at .the rear of the platen frame 3. The front 14 of the said paper table is prolonged between the feed rolls 12 sufficiently to guide the work sheetv beneath the receiving edge 15 of theguide fingers 16. These guidefingers are preferably formed of some springy material and are supported on the offset arms 17 of carriers. 18, which are mounted to be rocked or slid along on a rod 19 su ported along the rear of the platen, in t e ends of the frame 3. The said carriers are provided with spring-pressed detent rolls 20, which seat themselves in a groove 21 cut along the underside of the supporting rod 19, when the said carriers are rocked to their proper position, in which the loose roll 22, carried on each of the yielding guide fingers, will bear against the platen 1, or work sheet as shown in Fig. 3. in order to hold the work sheet more firmly against said platen, and avoid all air spaces be tween the two, and also to materially increase the extent of contact as measured cireumferentially of the platen, or, in other words, to increase the area of contact between the platen and work sheet, I have provided auxiliary pressure rolls 23, one associated with each guide finger 16, each roll 7 23 being loosely mounted upon a screw 24 in an arm 25 pivotally attached at 27 to one of the offset arms '17- ot' the guide finger carriers 18. A spring carried on the pivot 27, has one end anchored at 27* to the carrier 18, and with its other end 28 bears upon the arm 25 to press the auxiliary roll 23 against the platen or work sheet, similar to the roll 22. When a guidefinger is moved away from the platen l, by rocking its carrier 18 as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3, in order to freely adjust the work sheet, the auxiliary roll 23 and its arm 25 are prevented from becoming displaced by a pin 29 on the arm 25, which will halt against the said guide finger.

For preventing the formatlon of air spaces or hollows between the work-sheet and the platen at points intermediate, and more or less remote from, the hereinbei'ore mentioned guide tingers and their auxiliary rolls, 1 use a guide arm30 which is held yieldingly against the platen by a spring 31 and is provided with pressure rolls and 33, the roll 32 being some distance in advance of the roll The spring 31 tends to move the arm 30 bodily toward the platen, and also tends to tilt said arm about its supporting pin to cause a downward pressure on the rolls 32, 33, on the platen, so that the rolls adjust themselves to the platen and are yieldingly held thereagainst, and also are permitted a limited movement away from the platen. The lower surface of the arm 30 extends downwardly and forwardly from the roll 33, at an acute angle to the platen and forms a guide to direct the leading edges of the work sheets to the platen at the point of engagement with the roll 33.

The auxiliary rolls 3, 32, are preferably substantially in alinement, that is, in a line parallel with the axis of the platen, so that the work sheet, as it passes beyond said rolls, is deflected from or leaves the platen along a substantiall straight line, avoiding any tendency to istort or unevenly bend the paper as would occur if said rolls were not in alinement. The lower rolls 22, 33, are also preferably in substantial alinement. It

will be noted that the auxiliary rolls 23, 32,

are quite a distance in advance of the rolls 22, thereby materially increasing the arc of contact or portion of the circumference of the platen against which the work sheet is held. As it is of great advantage to make use of this arm, t e operator is prevented from moving the same to an ino sition, by a lock formed of a p ate 34 having bent-down ears 35 and held in position by a screw 36, said ears permitting only an up-and-down movement of the guide arm 30. When a work sheet is thus held against the platen 1, without any hollows between them, the type 37 strikes solidly against the said work sheet and platen, and produces a clear and perfect type impression. Furthermore, if a so-called noiseless platen is used with the above improvements, ,a very quiet operation of the machine results, due to the elimination of hollow sound caused when the said type strikes a loose work sheet.

Variations may be resorted to within the scope of the invention, and portions of the improvements may be used without others.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a platen-and feed rolls bearing against the platen, of guide fingers for the marginal edges of the work sheet, pressure rolls carried by said guide fingers, auxiliary pressure rolls associated with said guide fingers, and located in advance of said firstnamed pressure rolls, to engage the leading edge of a work sheet: after said edge passes beyond the first-named rolls, a guide intermediate said guide fingers, and a pressure roll thereon substantially in alincment with said auxiliary rolls.

2. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a platen and feed rolls bearing against the platen, of guide fingers for the marginal edges of the work sheet, pressure rolls carried by said guide fingers, auxiliary pressure rolls associated with said guide fingers, and located in advance of said firstnamed pressure rolls, to engage the leading edge of a work sheet after said edge passes beyond the first-named rolls, a guide intermediate said guide fingers, and pressure rolls on said guide, one in advance of the other.

3. In a typewriting machine, the eombination with a rotary platen, of a front guide bearing against the platen at a point in advance of the printing line, marginal guide fingers in position to overlie the margins of the work sheet in advance of the printing line, said front guide and said guide fingers each provided with a pressure roll to bear against the work sheet, an auxiliary pressure roll connected with each of said guide fingers, and an auxiliary pressure roll on said front guide, said auxiliary rolls being in advance of the first-named rolls erative po-' and increasing the area of contact of the 1 work sheet with the platen and assisting in overlie the margin of a work sheet, a carrier for .said guide finger mounted for adjustment'longitudinally of the platen to adjust the guide finger to different positions along the platen, a pressure roll carried by said guide finger to bear against the work sheet, an auxiliary pressure roll mounted on said carrier and movable toward and from*the platen independently of the movement of the guide finger, and means to hold said rolls with a yielding pressure against the platen, said auxiliary roll being located in advance of the first-mentioned roll and cooperating with the latter to prevent the formation of spaces between the work sheet and platen.

5. In a typewriting machine, the combination. with a roller laten and a platen frame, of marginal guides positioned to engage the margins of a worksheet and hold against the platen a portion thereof that has passed beyond the printing line, a guide arm mounted on the platen frame at a point intermediate the said margin guides, and pressure rolls on said arm arranged to bear against the platen or a work sheet thereon, at points in advance of the printing line and adjacent the center of the laten surface as measured longitudinal y of the platen, one of said rolls being a substantial distance in advance of the other.

6. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a roller platen and a platen frame, of guides for the margins of a work sheet, comprising pressure rolls to engage portions of a work sheet that have passed beyond the printing line, auxiliary pressure rolls positioned to engage portions of the I work sheet that have passed beyond said first-mentioned rolls, a guide arm on the platen frame at a point intermediate said margin guides, and ressure rolls carried by said arm, one in vance of the other, to bear against portions of the work sheet that have passed beyond the printing line.

7. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a roller platen and a platen frame, of guides for the margins of a work sheet, com rising pressure rolls to engage portions 0 a work sheet that have passed beyond the printing line, auxiliary pressure rolls positioned to engage portions of the work sheet that have passed beyond said first-mentioned rolls, a guide arm on the platen frame at a point intermediate said margin guides, and ressure rolls carried by said arm, one in a vance of the other, to bear against portions' 'of the work sheet that have passed beyond me rinting line, said first-mentioned rolls an one of the rolls on said guide arm beihg'subst-antiallydn alinement, and the said auxiliary rolls;a'n d' the other of said rolls on said guide arm-, also being in substantial 'alinement.

' 8. In a typewriting machine, the coii biv nation with a roller platen and a .platen' frame, of a guide arm mounted on the platen frame in front of the platen and extending rearwardly, and pressure rolls carried by yond the printing line, one roll located beyond the other, the under surface of said, arm forward of the forward pressure rollbeing at an acute angle with the adjacent surface of the platen, to defiect the' leading edge of a work sheet toward the platen and direct it to the platen as it is advanced.

9. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a roller platen, of a marginal guide finger for a Work sheet, a pressure roll carried by said finger to bear against the margin of the work sheet, a carrier for said finger mounted for adjustment longitudinally of the platen, an arm pivoted to said carrier, an auxiliary pressure roll carried by said arm, a spring to hold saidauxiliary roll against the platen with a yielding pressure and permit movement of the auxiliary roll toward and from the platen independently of movement of the first-mentioned roll, said carrier mounted to swing in a direction transversely of the platen and carry said first-mentioned roll away from the platen to release the work sheet, and a stop to limit the pivotal movement of said pivoted arm on the carrier as the carrier swings away from the platen, and thereby cause the auxiliary roll to he carried away from the platen.

10. In a front-strike typewriting machine, the combination. with a roller platen having a printing line along the front face thereof, of pressure rolls to engage portions of a Work sheet on the platen that have passed beyond the printing line, means for supporting said rolls and causing them to bear with a yielding pressure against the platen, said rolls comprising and rolls to engage the margins of a work sheet, and an intermediate'roll at or adjacent to the center of the platen surface as measured longitudinally 'inidway between said first-mentioned rolls,

said rolls being positioned to bear against the work sheet along a line in advance of and parallel. with the printing line, auxiliary rolls also arranged in a line parallel substantially midway between the said outer with the printing line to bear against the rolls.

work sheet in advance of said first-men- LYMAN R; ROBERT-S. tioned rolls, said auxiliary rolls also com- Witnesses: 5 prising outer rolls to engage the margins Trr'ns H. Inons,

of the work sheet, and an intermediate r011 F. E. ALEXANDER. 

